IP/optical integration typically results in cost savings, but maintaining service availability is also essential when measuring total return on investment (ROI). An analysis of 3 modes of operation found multi-layer protection and restoration to be the most cost efficient while meeting availability requirements.

Public safety professionals require the highest level of reliable, multimedia mobile communications to enhance their operational effectiveness. And while standard based long term evolution (LTE) provides the most cost-effective and secure way to support these broadband communications, transitioning to this new technology will demand a complex technical, operational, and business evolution for the public safety community.

Why LTE – and why now?

Public safety communications are at a turning point. The most urgent events – planned and unplanned – require more than mission-critical voice to improve first responders’ efficiency. Real-time imagery, video, geo-localization, and high-speed access to private cloud-based information and applications are becoming essential to fulfill first responders’ missions.

Existing private mobile radio (PMR) systems have limited capabilities to deliver this, because they were designed to primarily support narrowband mission-critical voice.

For LTE, it’s a different story. LTE can complement existing PMR networks to dramatically enhance operational effectiveness and coordination within a secure infrastructure shared by cooperating agencies.

OpenStack isn’t an as-is solution for telco network functions virtualization (NFV) infrastructures. OpenStack is an open-source cloud management technology that provides many of the capabilities needed in any NFV environment. And this has prompted interest among many telco service providers.

But to realize the full benefits of NFV, service providers need NFV platforms that provide additional capabilities to support distributed clouds, enhanced network control, lifecycle management, and high performance data planes.

June seems like it is so far away but it really isn't. I can't believe it it's so close. I am really happy that Supercomm invited me back to speak at their event. I had great fun speaking last year and am sure the audience participation will be just as good this year as last.

Netcordia just announced an addition to its product line, the Enterprise 2000, which provides network diagnostic support for large networks up to 2,000 routers and switches. It also has configuration policy analysis, which, as you know, is an emerging market in the network management space.

As the name implies, the product supports up to 2,000 routers and switches or up to 60,000 interfaces. With the addition of configuration policy analysis in this model, NetMRI users can easily check every configuration file for accurate policies. The analysis can be automatically performed on a daily basis, or on an ad hoc basis, making this a readily adaptable management tool for busy network managers.Â he auto-generated reports highlight the exceptions in a glance, providing correctional guidance as well as a compliance proof source.

The NetMRI line has three other models that have been shipping since 2003, the Campus 200, the Enterprise 500 and the Enterprise 1000.Â The models all provide the same interface, reports, root cause analysis, and functional support of VoIP, Wireless, VLANs and IP as the other models; they differ in the size of the network supported.

According to the AP, Up to 10 times as many people as originally thought may have had their profiles stolen from a LexisNexis database in the United States, publisher and data broker Reed Elsevier Group PLC said Tuesday.

The company reported last month that criminals may have accessed personal details of 32,000 people via a breach of LexisNexis' recently acquired Seisint unit. It now says that figure is closer to 310,000 people.

Reed said it identified 59 incidents since January 2003 in which unauthorized persons, predominantly using IDs and passwords of legitimate Seisint customers, may have fraudulently acquired personal identifying information on thousands of people

Information accessed included names, addresses, Social Security and driver license numbers, but not credit history, medical records or financial information, the company said.

The company said the 59 identified incidents of fraudulently obtained information - 57 at Seisint and two in other LexisNexis units - are largely related to the misappropriation by third parties of IDs and passwords belonging to legitimate customers. It stressed that neither LexisNexis nor the Seisint technology infrastructure was breached by hackers.

I ordered a $15 Firewire cable for a new video recorder. I ordered the wrong cable as it turns out. Interestingly this order was placed by an affiliate of Amazon and when I tried to ask if I could exchange it a few e-mails went unanswered.

A few weeks later Amazon sent me a survey asking me if I was satisfied with my order. My response was that the vendor didnâ€™t respond to my two e-mails.

Dictaphone Corporation announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement with NICE Systems under which NICE will acquire the assets of Dictaphoneâ€™s Communication Recording Systems (CRS) business for $38.5 million. The CRS unit is a leading provider of recording systems for 9-1-1 centers and other mission-critical operations in the public safety, financial, and call center markets. The boards of both companies have unanimously approved the transaction, which is expected to close by the end of the second quarter of 2005, subject to certain closing conditions.

Dictaphoneâ€™s sale of the CRS unit is part of its strategy to create a company focused principally on the healthcare information technology market. Dictaphoneâ€™s Healthcare Solutions Group deploys dictation, transcription and speech recognition software systems in over half of the hospitals in the U.S. Its solutions automate critical elements in the creation and management of health information, helping healthcare organizations improve productivity and the quality of patient care.

â€śFor several years, we have experienced strong growth and developed an industry leading product portfolio based on speech recognition and natural language processing technologies in our healthcare business,â€ť said Rob Schwager, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Dictaphone Corporation.

Seems like the states are going crazy, focusing on why VoIP providers arenâ€™t providing 911 support. According to this VoIP e911 article, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is proposing legislation to get Internet-based phone providers to give customers the same kind of access to 911 operators as those who use regular telephone lines. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, the FCC is working with RBOCs who SURPIRISE, arenâ€™t allowing unfettered access to 911 infrastructure. What the mainstream press isnâ€™t picking up on is that many VoIP providers, especially Vonage are trying to provide 911 service that is on par or better than the PSTN.

Ah, the Boston Tea Party, a watershed event in the history of the United States and the independence of this great country. Just uttering the two words tea party together will make anyone aware of US history think back to ships over two hundred years ago in the Boston harbor with crates of tea leaves floating in harbor.

So it is logical that MIT, a Massachusetts based university would use TParty as the name of its new initiative in cooperation with laptop maker Quanta. What is this initiative you ask? To develop the next-generation of computing.

According to this TechWeb article, TParty's goal is "to create new systems for the development and seamless delivery of information services in a world of smart devices and sensors.

AOL and XM have agreed to jointly create a radio service according to the WSJ who says the new cobranded service, which hasn't been named yet, will replace the current paid service on XM's Web site and will replace AOL's current radio services -- AOL Radio and Netscape Radio.

XM receives a powerful incentive in this deal as it will be able to market to over 20 million AOL users while AOL will be able to add 70 commercial free XM channels to its 130 other channels. AOL will package these stations for their subscribers and will also have a package for non-subscribers.

My take on this is that this is a win-win strategy and we will see Sirius coming back with an announcement with probably Yahoo! Or MSN. Google will also be heavily considering whether such a launch makes sense for them.